Airplane



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, AIRPLANE Fild June 22, 1938 12 sheets-sheet 1 Oct. 15, 1940. J'. HOJ'NOWSKI 2,218,370

AIRPLANE lfiled'June 22, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented oet 1s, 1 940 UNITED [STATI-:s

AIRPLANE Jakob Hojnowski, Nekoosa, Wis.

Application June 22, 1938, Serial No. 215,246 In Canada April 29, 1938 1 Claim.-

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in airplanes.

The primary object of the invention is to provide an airplane provided with a spring landing gear for .the absorption of shocks du-ring the landing of an airplane.

A further object of the invention is to provide an airplane with ali-improved wing construction that is reinforced and strengthened to eliminate injury thereto.

A still further object of the invention is to equip an airplane with a parachute that is normally confined within a housing in .the fuselage of the airplane with the release of the parachute l5 under control of the operator or pilot.

A still further and important object of the invention is .to provide a screen or grille structure'at the nose end of the airplane in the form of a reticulated shutter that may be closed in inclement weather to prevent the gathering of rain or snow on the motor of the 'airplane and which may be opened in fair weather for cooling the motor, the invention further contemplating the use of the grille or shutter for the radiator of a motor vehicle.

With the above and other object-s in view that will become apparentas the nature ofthe dnvention is better understood, the same consists in the novel form, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings and claimed.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an airplan constructed in accordance with the present invention and illustrating the parachute in its -released and operative position;

-Figure 2 is a fragmentary top plan View of the airplane, showing the reinforced panel construction of w'ing and the housing or compartment do for the parachute;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary Itop plan view showing the cover doorsfor the parachutev housing and the latch devices for holding them in closed position;

Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a detail sectional View taken on line 5-5 of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a. side elevational view of the airplane showing the resilient landing gear;

Figure '7 is a cross-sectional view taken online 1-1 of Figure 2, showing the spring devices of the resilient 'landing gear;

Figure 81s a horizontal sectional view taken on line 8--8 of Figure 7;

Figure 9 is a front end elevational view of :the fuselage of the airplane with the motor shaft in. section and illustrating the screen or grilleconstruction at the nose of the airplane;

Figure 10 is a fragmentary longitudinal sec- 5 tional view showing another form of shutter or grille construction at the nose of the airplane;

Figure l1 is a detail sectional view taken on u line II--I I of Figure 2, showing the cruciform or cross-shaped llongitudinally extendingreinforc- 19 ing bars between the 'longitudinally extending panels compri-sing .the wing structure;

Figure 12 is a cross-sectional view taken on line I2- I2 of Figure 11, showing reinforcing T- irons extending transversely ofthe wing panels;

Figure 13 is' a fragmentary side elevational view, partly in section, of the grille at the head ofthe motor, showing -the lock bolt for holding the sli-ding grille plate in adjusted position, and

Figure 14 is a fragmentary front elevational 20 view of ,the grille shown in Figure 13.

'Dhe airplane comprises a fuselage I5 equipped with a forwardly positioned propeller I6, laterally extending wings I1 and a landing gear designated in general bythe reference character I8. 25

The wing structure I1 as shown more clearly in Figures 2,A '7, 11 and 12, comprises a plurality of longitudinally extending panels I9 having Ilongitudinally extending grooves 20 in their abutting side edges for fthe'reception of lateral flanges 30 of reinforcing bars ofcruciform or cross shape in cross-section as shown at 2l in Fig-ure 11, the

vertical legs of the cross-shaped reinforcing bar 2I being exposed at .the top and bottom surfaces of the wing I1. The wing panels I9 are further 35 reinforced and held in assembled relation by T- irons 22 arranged in spaced relation and extending 'transversely of the upper surface of lche wing I I with the T-'irons anchored to the panels I9 by bolts` 23 extending through .the base flanges 40 ofthe T-i/rons 23 and said wing panels I9.

The landing gear I8 as shown in'F-igures 6 to 8 includes two ground wheels 24 respectively arf. ranged at opposite sides of the fuselage -I5 as indicated by the supports therefor in Figure 2, 45

,upper end of .the guide rod 21 slidably extending through Ithe wing I1 and threaded at its extended end for the adjustable reception of a nut 29 that 55 is engaged with the lupper side of the wing l1.

'Ilhe g-uide rod 21 is of less diameter than the A guide sleeve 28 and within said guide sleeve, the

' ioni-ng .the landing of the airplane.

The nose 32 of the fuselage rearwardly of the propeller I6 is equipped witha ventilator, shutter or grille for controlling the passage of air to the motor within the fuselage and also operable for protecting the motor from rain and snow and such ventilator construction as shown in Figure i0 comprising a reticulated shutter plate 33 having a central opening therein for the passage of the propeller shaft 34 while an inwardly positioned reticulated plate 35 is rotatably mounted at its central point on the motor shaft 34, said inner reticulated plate 35 is rotatably adjustable by the handle 35 for controlling the passage of air through the openings in the two reticulated shutter plates 33 and 36;

A'In the form of ventilator construction illustrated in Figure 9, the plate 35a has a centrally disposed vertical slot 31 to which the propeller shaft 34 and said grid plate 35B `is vertically shiftable by means of the handle 36a located adjacent the lower end thereof for opening and closing the grid openings.

As shown in Figures 13 and 14, the reticulated shutter plates 33b and 35b are flatly engaged with each other, `the rearwardly positioned shutter plate 35b being verticallyslidable and carrying a headed screw bolt 35c that has the threaded shank 35d projecting forwardly thereof and freely extending through the shutter plate opening 33c v for the reception of a wing nut 33,d that is operable to hold the vertically slidable shutter plate 351il in its adjusted position with the openings in the shutter plates 33h and 35D either in or out of registry. As shown in Figure 14, thenose 32a of the fuselage carries at diametrically opposite sides thereof segment blocks^ -32 having oDp0Sed` parallel vertical\edges 32'z and the opposite sides of the vertically\slidable shutter vplate 35h have straight edge portions 35 engaged with the straight edges 32c of said segment blocks for restraining the shutter plate 355 from rotative movements and assuring proper registry o f the openings in the shutter plates 33b and 35h.

' Theairplane is equipped with a parachute that is normally coninedwithin a housingor receptacle in the fuselage and is adapted to be manually released therefrom .should' the airplane motor fail to operate to retard the descent of the airplane and effect a safe landing thereof. As

shown in Figures 1 to )6,1 a receptacle 40 is sunspended from the top wall of the fuselage l5 rearwardly of the pilot compartment 4| and said receptacle '40 is normally closed at the upper sidev doors 42 and 43 mitered as shown at 45 in Figure 5 with the door 43 overlapping the adjacent edge of the door' 4 2. The latch mechanism for the doors 42 and 4'3 is shown more clearly in Figures 3 and 4 and includes a pair of tensioned latch bolts 46 carried by opposite side edges of the door 43 with the latch bolts projectable into the latch keeper 41 carried by the top wall of the fuselage l5. Each latch bolt 46 is capable of being retracted or released from its keeper 41 by means of pull cords 48 extending through guide eyes 49 carried by the door 43 and connected together to form a single pull cord 50 extending through a guide eye 5| on the door 43 whereby a -pull upon the single cord 50 will release both latches 46. As shown in Figure 6, the single pull cord 50 extends forwardly for attachment to the operating hand lever 52 located adjacent the pilot compartment 4| for the release of the parachute 51, shown in Figure 1, in its extended operative position. l n

The outer trailing edge of each lateral wing section |1 is provided with an aileron 53 normally confined within the plane of the wing, the forward edge of the aileron 53 being fixed to the adjacent end of a shaft 54 that is rotatably supported as shown in Figure 7 Vbetween adjacent edges of sections of wing panels I9 in lieu of the reinforcing cross-shaped strip 2|, the adjacent ends of the shaft 54 supporting the ailerons 53 terminating adjacent the pilot compartment 4| and being connected by means of a system of levers 55 with a manually operated lever 56, a separate lever 56 being provided for each aileron 53. 7 From the above detailed description of the invention, it isvbelieved that the construction and operation thereof will at once be apparent, and while there is herein 'shown and described the preferred embodiment of the invention, it is nevertheless to be understood that minor changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention as claimed.

Iclaim: l In an airplane having a wing, a resilient landing gear associated with said wing including a substantially U-shaped frame'extending parallel with the fore and aft center line of the airplane and carrying a ground wheel at the lower end thereof, the side legs of the U-shaped frame extending upwardly through the wing, each side legedges as at 44 with the adjacent edges of the havinga coil spring surrounding the same, a disk therefrom land surrounding the coil spring and i leg with the upper side of the Idisk abutment on each leg located in the lower endof its associated guide cylinder. y

Y JAKOB 

